The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyone has a small part of himself in both - Vaclav Havel

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Some Zionists just can't get enough...

Not content with Israel's badly tarnished image after butchering Gaza and the continuing drip-drip-drip effect of bad publicity for their country, some Zionutz keep pushing for the Ultimate Solution. In a very recent article in The J'sem Post titled 'No to the reconstruction of Gaza' the author opposes rebuilding Gaza, on moral grounds, no less. So put on your armpit-high sewer-resistant wellies, gasmask and goggles and let's wade in there.

He starts off strongly:

The developing international campaign to reconstruct Gaza is strategic folly. It is also unlikely to be effective. And, under current circumstances, it is also immoral.

The recent military offensive against Hamas inflicted heavy damage on Gaza. Aside from punishing Hamas for its rocket attacks, the beating was meant to demonstrate to reasonable Palestinians that Hamas attacks would only bring them havoc and suffering. Theoretically, the results of Operation Cast Lead would seem to complement the international community's efforts to make the lives of the Palestinians under Abbas better then those of the Gazans.

Yet, this rationale seems to evaporate in a mush of sentimentalist manipulation. Instead of using the tough pictures coming out of Gaza to tell Gazans: "We told you all along that Hamas leadership would only make things worse" (just as it has in other places where radical Islamists gain power), Western leaders seem to have foolishly decided that Gaza should speedily be rebuilt. This, of course, sends the wrong signal. It tells Palestinians that their leadership can make grave, deadly mistakes, and nevertheless gullible Westerners will bail them out. It also signals to Hamas that it can continue shooting; for if Israel repeats its military action, merciful Westerners again will repair the damage.

That forty years (well, sixty if we're honest) of Israeli Occupation of Palestinian land (ongoing and expanding to date) may just be sending the wrong signal to the Palestinians is deftly left out of the author's 'reasoning'. That much of what the Palestinian people do is a response to this root cause doesn't bother this arch-zionut in the least. Quite the contrary, Gaza's recent fate needs to be extended to be the last nail in the Palestinian People's coffin. Honestly, a true Nazi couldn't have put this any better.

"a mush of sentimentalist manipulation..." Even undersigned, not known for excessive emotionality or sentimental outbursts has had serious difficulty holding back tears (and no, I really don't like to admit this) when viewing the atrocious images coming out of Gaza. People more emotionally disposed than me must at times have felt like crying a river for the dead, the maimed, the newly made homeless and the bereft alike. Sorry, Efraim Inbar, but there really was no need for "sentimentalist manipulation". I have to conclude that when G-d made you He had temporarily run out of hearts and decided to put a stone in instead.

Like many Third World countries, the Palestinians lack the legal and institutional infrastructure needed for effective dispersal of economic aid. Gaza is behind the West Bank in its development, making it an even less suitable candidate for effective international aid. Nevertheless, the standard of living of the Gazans is still higher than the Egyptians.

Yes, folks, the fact that Gaza is actually behind the West Bank in its development (a highly contentious point at the best of times, but anyway also highly irrelevant) is all the more reason to stop economic aid. In other words, the poorer an area, the least it qualifies for aid. This coming from a Director at an Israeli university!

Lemmesee, would that fit in with a complementary theory that only the Herrenvolk are entitled to about 3 billion USD of US annual aid? Sure...

FINALLY, THE morality of pouring money so that Gazans can live better is questionable. Many, many Gazans are defined by UNRWA as refugees. They have lived at the expense of the international community for more than six decades, on the dole and economically dependent, with no resettlement or real rehabilitation attempted. This is morally wrong. People - even Palestinians! - should be encouraged to take responsibility and get on with their lives. The 1948 war is long over, and these people are not "returning." Additional aid to Gaza only increases their addiction to foreign aid and to their false dreams of destroying Israel.

Well, in my years at university I've had to suffer my share of fools and dinosaurs masquerading as Learned Men, convincing me that walking the walk and talking the talk is absolutely no guarantee for enlightenment, quite the contrary. Apparently, the writer is director of the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. Another excellent reason to boycott this 'centre of learning'...

2 Comments:

I disagree with most of what Efraim Inbar has to say. I think it is important that Israel, and not just the international community aid in the reconstruction of Gaza.

On the point of Palestinians getting on with their lives, I do agree that aid organizations should shift their focus from basic aid to rehabilitation. Refugees in Gaza and elsewhere live in horrible conditions and UNRWA doesn't really do anything to change that.

"Apparently, the writer is director of the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. Another excellent reason to boycott this 'centre of learning'..."

To paraphrase the bible: What if there are fifty peacenik faculty members at BIU, will you boycott the peaceniks with the hawks?

Emm:"What if there are fifty peacenik faculty members at BIU, will you boycott the peaceniks with the hawks?"

Yes. The peaceniks will agree with that. Those who want to sit on the fence and be 'peaceniks in wolves clothing' were never worth bothering with in the first place. Israel is full of them: cheering on the war in its first days, then gradually starting to criticise it when the predictable results start coming in. Essentially these are mere hypocrites, more concerned about their own peace of conscience than with an actual solution. More concerned with the status quo (from which they benefit) and making the occasional 'moral stance' than with seeing the truth (which by and large is really quite simple - although these tend also to be the first to put up the smoke screen that 'it's very complicated, you know' - no, it ain't).